Dr. Earth may heal

Dr. Earth, aka Milo L. Shammas, was a no-show recently at the Greenhouse Garden Center where he was to discuss organic fertilizers. So was the representative from Kellogg's, which manufactures Dr. Earth products as well as Master Gardener gardening items. But dependable David Ruf, plant maestro at the Greenhouse, was there.

Despite being left alone to talk about organic gardening, Ruf plunged in.

Ruf touted the Dr. Earth line of organic garden products (at the expense of other such products he sells), and he seemed to have solid data to back up the company's claims.

"There's two kind of labels you'll see on garden products: natural and organic," he explained. "Natural means it's like water, not created by man. Organic means that it has carbon in it and came from living matter."

Holding up a box of Dr. Earth fertilizer, he continued, "We're not in Kansas here in Nevada. Our soil is alkaline, with most of the organic elements created by that great lake that was here a couple of hundred thousand years ago now several hundred feet underground. There's not much in the way of microbe life in our soil, and that's what makes it harder for plants to grow.

"The microbes chew up matter in the soil, make it more hospitable to plants. So we need to put those microbes into the soil."

At this point he waved a booklet from Dr. Earth and cited the company's message:

"There are great differences between materials used as plant fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers tend to create forced and unnatural growth spurts in plants, which may leave them weak and vulnerable to diseases. Water-soluble chemical fertilizers frequently pass through the soil rather rapidly after application, limiting their availability to plant roots.

"Furthermore, it is known that the continued use of many chemical fertilizers may lead to environmental problems. On the other hand, traditional organic fertilizers, while safe and natural, typically take a long time before plant growth results are evident.

"Dr. Earth Organic Fertilizers now offer a third alternative. By combining champion strains of beneficial soil microbes, endo and ecto micorrhizae and top quality all-natural ingredients, Dr. Earth Organic Fertilizers not only provide plants with steady, sustained, healthy growth but are able to achieve these results quickly.

"The products also contain soil conditioning humates and a wide range of trace minerals, further enhancing their contribution to the soil and plants. When applied properly, Dr. Earth fertilizers become a part of the natural soil system so their use by plants is always effective, efficient and complete."

Sounds like a TV ad, but Ruf backs Dr. Earth with products in his shop. "Dr. Earth fertilizer adds that specific mixture that our soil needs here. I sell other kinds of fertilizer, but I'm confident Dr. Earth works best for us here."

Strong words. Ruf says that Nevada soil has less than 0.5 percent of organics, while most of the rest of the states average 3 percent. He also pointed out that there is little in the way of microbes in Nevada soil.

"Microbes exude a kind of glue (glomalin) that binds soil together, making it easier for air and water to get to roots."

Particularly important, said Ruf, is mycorrhizae, a king of fungus that attaches itself to roots an feeds on them. It also enlarges root systems, benefiting the plant. Also critical is hummic acid and seaweed extract. Hummic acid helps the microbes and seaweed extract aids in growth. "Planted side by side, plants treated with seaweed extract will visibly grow stronger."

Ruf recommends that in any garden venture that organic mixtures be added to the Nevada soil. "Don't treat soil like dirt," he quoted from a brochure.

All fertilizers are labeled as to content, and Ruf recommends that fertilizers be applied after making a test of the pH factor in the garden.

Much of what Ruf said was based on a Dr. Earth brochure, available free at the Greenhouse.

• Contact Sam Bauman at sbauman@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1236.